Five people were killed and more than 40 were injured after a driver in an SUV plowed through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wis., Sunday evening, officials said, The Washington Post reports.
The number of those dead and injured could increase as more information is gathered, the Waukesha Police Department said early Monday morning.
Authorities have recovered the driver’s vehicle and have taken one person into custody, Waukesha Police Chief Dan Thompson said at a news conference Sunday evening. He did not comment on a possible motive.
Waukesha Fire Chief Steven Howard said first responders activated their “mass casualty protocols” and took 23 people to hospitals, including 12 children. Additional people were transported to medical facilities by the police and family members, he said.
The vehicle broke through barricades about 4:40 p.m. local time, roughly 40 minutes after the parade began. In interviews, witnesses recounted the terrifying scene after the vehicle barreled into the crowd, shattering the festive mood at the annual Christmas parade in Waukesha, about 20 miles west of Milwaukee.